Across the disciplines, we see a movement away from individually focused understandings of hope to more communally and relationally dependent models. Many focus on connectedness as a central aspect of hope. This takes the form of friendship, solidarity, and bearing witness as central relational aspects of hope. Within the recovery model and other models of … Continue reading Most popular posts of 2015 – #12 – Hope is created in community
Author: Jason Schwartz
I have been an addiction professional and social worker since 1994. I started blogging in 2005 as the Clinical Director at Dawn Farm. I currently serve as the Director of Social Work and Spiritual Care for a healthcare system. I've also served as the Director of Behavioral Health at another hospital. I'm also a lecturer at Eastern Michigan University’s School of Social Work.
Views expressed here are my own.
Keep in mind that the field, the contexts in which the field operates, and my views have changed over time.
Optimism? Or, is it low expectations?
The feds recently published an article touting the long-term success of buprenorphine: In the first long-term follow-up of patients treated with buprenorphine/naloxone (Bp/Nx) for addiction to opioid pain relievers, half reported that they were abstinent from the drugs 18 months after starting the therapy. After 3.5 years, the portion who reported being abstinent had risen … Continue reading Optimism? Or, is it low expectations?
One step taken. More to go. 911 Good Samaritan Legislation in Michigan
Good news From the Detroit Free Press: Lawmakers gave final, and unanimous, passage to a bill Wednesday that they hope will help lower the number of drug overdose deaths from prescription drugs. The Good Samaritan bill, which passed the state Senate on a 38-0 vote, would provide immunity from criminal charges for people under the age … Continue reading One step taken. More to go. 911 Good Samaritan Legislation in Michigan
“I would have welcomed the help, and it would have changed my life.”
A new Reuters story on newborns affected by the opioid epidemic highlights the inadequate treatment provided to addicted pregnant women. In America, a baby is born dependent on opioids every 19 minutes. But doctors aren’t alerting social services to thousands of these infants, many of whom come to harm in families shattered by narcotics. The … Continue reading “I would have welcomed the help, and it would have changed my life.”
I am not a unicorn
The NY Post just published an article about Jennifer Matesa and her recovery. She just published a post addressing a very important omission: The biggest thing that didn’t make it in is my main reason for talking to thePost. (I mean, the Post is famous for Page Six, right? but if it had been the New York … Continue reading I am not a unicorn
History, maintenance, overdose and policy
Two articles came to my attention today. First, esteemed drug policy historian, David Courtwright, provides a historical perspective on opioid policies and maintenance treatments. To the extent that Americans remember the Harrison Act, they recall it as a prohibition law rather than a redundant regulatory measure. This impression grew out of two crucial lacunae: the legislation … Continue reading History, maintenance, overdose and policy
What next? (alcohol edition)
An emergency physician publicly and honestly wrestles with an all too common problem in emergency departments. I'm an emergency physician at an urban hospital, and I see alcoholics every single shift, brought in by the ambulance "found down" -- that is, found passed out in public places or belligerent on the streets. When these patients … Continue reading What next? (alcohol edition)
What next?
It's good to see naloxone getting distributed, it's really good to see that overdoses are being reversed, and I'm really glad to see people start to ask "what next?" Baltimore has trained 12,000 people on the streets to use naloxone in the past 11 years, 2,150 of them this year alone. “If someone is using a … Continue reading What next?
Too expensive? (2015)
I frequently point to health professional recovery programs when discussing the effectiveness of drug-free treatment when it's delivered in the appropriate dose, frequency and duration. They have stellar outcomes. (More details here.) The programs were abstinence-based, requiring physicians to abstain from any use of alcohol or other drugs of abuse as assessed by frequent random … Continue reading Too expensive? (2015)
What’s with all of the posts about methadone and buprenorphine?
I've been doing a lot of posts on methadone and buprenorphine lately. It's not that I think they are evil and should be banned. It's just that, if your knowledge was limited to what's in media reports, you'd believe that medications like buprenorphine and methadone are the only responsible treatment, that they are inaccessible, and that any … Continue reading What’s with all of the posts about methadone and buprenorphine?
Recovery Review 